Bach Fugue BWV 998 lesson
This guitar lesson shows you how to learn the awesome Fugue from BWV 998 by J.S. Bach. It has a series of videos that will walk you through how to practice & effectively perform each section of this piece. Giving fingering tips, any hacks, and many more insights into learning this old masterpiece. Along with a fully tabbed score, see below.
Get Fugue BWV 998 Score
Grab your copy of the in depth study guide that goes along with these video lessons. Fully tabbed out, so there is no guess work to where your fingers need to go, along with all the left hand hacks and guides you need to perform this piece confidently.
Learn Bach’s Fugue (BWV 998)
This is piece is one of only three ternery fugues in the whole of Bach’s current repertoire; BWV997 & 548 being the others. Ternary structure means there is:
- A section, the 4 voice fugue material;
- B section, Italianate sixteenth note section;
- A section, fugue gets repeated note for note.
This is a mature work of Bach’s, and was composed around 1735. It is also an allogorical piece (the original Eb key is just the start), that deals with the symbolism of the Trinity of Christ. It has a precedence in Bach’s works, he buried lots of signs and symbols within his music, not always religious either.
Bach BWV 998 Fugal Voices
The beautiful Lutheran choral melody ( Von himmel Koch ) is used by Bach to compose this fugue. It is one he obviously liked as he used it in the Christmas oratorio, BWV 248, as well as BWV243, BWV769, the Goldberg Variations BWV988, No. 3 & 13; and more. Bach spins it out, after the opening, into a four voice fugue of epic proportions. Now I am not going to sugar coat it, this is a challenging fugue for the fretboard. If you after an easy first fugue to learn I suggest BWV1000a, the A minor fugue. It is easier than this mature fugue of Bach’s.
The video below will help you start that melody and second voice entry. Take it slow, and make sure you are very clear about where, and what, your left hand fingers are doing.
Fugue BWV998 in Micro Lessons
The following videos will begin to piece the fugal entries together, along with their development. Take it slowly and build it up, micro study by micro study.
Section 2 of the Fugue
This next section moves again into a new character: two voice Italianate running sixteenth notes. This is a hall mark of the German Baroque period, mixed style. (And very much a musical idiom of Bach, he was able to combine different musical styles, he did it on purpose to extend his own language.) Two different forms of music combined. This section, while tricky, is technically a lot easier on the left hand. It does have it’s moments though. So practice those in isolation
Fugue BWV998 Complete
That is it, all done. Due to the fugue being a complete repeat of section A, I have not gone over it again. Once you have learnt section A, that is two thirds of this massive piece learnt. You are finished with learning this amazing musical statement.
Get the Prelude BWV998
Grab your copy of the amazing stile brise first movement to BWV998.
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